Band Aids - 100 Years Old, Finally Sustainable
In 1921 Earle Dickson was a cotton buyer working for Johnson & Johnson. It is reported that his wife Josephine, was always cutting her fingers or burning herself in the kitchen; wounds that he would have to dress for her.
Dickson wanted a bandage his wife could easily apply herself, so he combined two of the company’s early products – gauze and adhesive tape – by laying out a long piece of the tape and placing a strip of gauze down the middle. To keep the adhesive from sticking to the wound, he covered it with crinoline fabric. His wife could then dress her own wounds by cutting a piece of the tape and gauze pad and applying it one handed.
Dickson showed his creation to his boss and before long, Johnson & Johnson were producing and selling long strips (around 6.5cm x 46cm) of Dicksons invention. However, they didn’t sell well (around $3000 US worth in the first year on the market) and Johnson & Johnson put this down to the size and the fact that the customer had to cut them to the size they needed.
They changed the size and the band-aid as we know it today came into existence. In a marketing move, Johnson & Johnson donated thousands of Band-Aids to the Boy Scouts and from there, sales started to take off.
During World War 2, Johnson and Johnson sent millions of Band-Aids to the frontline as part of American soldiers’ standard mess kits and by the time soldiers returned home at the end of the war, Band-Aid had become a household name… (so much so that even non branded adhesive strips are referred to by almost everybody as Band-Aids)
And Earle Dickson? Well, it’s safe to say that Johnson & Johnson were fairly happy with him. He became vice-president of the company and held the position until he retired in 1957. He passed away in 1961 and by then sales of the Band-Aid were over $30 million US per year! 58 years later, in 2019, just shy of their 100th birthday, Band Aid was the leading name brand first aid tape in the United States with almost 170 million U.S. in sales.
Band-aids have been covering up wounds for 100 years and according to most 4-year-olds; have the magic ability to heal almost any ouch. A clever invention yes, magic abilities maybe, but the fact that they are a single use item made from plastic is what first put them on my radar as something I needed to find an alternative for.
I haven't been able to find any written data on how long it takes for a plastic band-aid to decompose but considering most plastic takes hundreds of years, I'm picking it's an awfully long time. So, not overly good for the environment and when you consider that one in four people have experienced a reaction to wound adhesives, they don’t seem to be that great for our health either. (Reactions were mostly due to them having contained a host of nasties, including silicon, latex, sulphate, Thimerosal and Merthiolate - to save you googling like I had to; Thimerosal and Merthiolate are mercury containing substances once wildly used as a germ killer and a preservative – I don’t THINK they are used anymore…)
Hhhmm… funny how often environmental health and personal health go hand in hand…
Thankfully, better choice band-aids are now a thing! Australian owned and operated, PATCH strips are made from 100% natural bamboo fibres and were created by a dad who’s little one had an allergic reaction to adhesive strips! They are 100% organic, vegan, hypoallergenic and breathable. They are free from plastic and don’t contain any of the nasties I mentioned above. And my favourite facts… PATCH strips work, are sustainable and HOME compostable!
Targeted to heal wounds as quickly as possible, PATCH strips are available in four types:
1. Natural – for Cuts & Scratches
2. Aloe Vera – for Burns & Blisters
3. Charcoal – for Bites & Splinters
4. Coconut Oil – General Purpose - they have Panda’s on them for kids of all ages!
Available for $6.95 on the Healthy Clean and Green website PATCH strips come in a pack of 25 making them approximately 28c each… I’m sure all 4-year-olds would agree that’s not a bad price for pandas with magic healing properties…😉
Consider making the switch to PATCH today. It’s one of those small changes that seem insignificant, but if done by enough, will have a big and positive impact on our planet!
